Category Archives: opinion

The romance of smugglers…

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Smugglers of the 17th/18th century, like highwaymen, have always had a romantic air about them. There is something about remote windswept beach’s, moonlit seas, and of course gentlemen with a rough kind of honour to them that just appeals to … Continue reading →

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The Complexity of a review…

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Mark Hayes

A little over six years now I had a odd dream, woke up in a cold sweat, scribbled some rather idiosyncratic notes, and then tried fleetingly to get back to sleep. After an hour of staring at the ceiling, as … Continue reading →

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When inspiration is lacking…

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Occasionally every writer hits a wall where inspiration seems determined to elude them. On such occasions I find solace in the odd quote or three from other writers, here then are a selection for anyone struggling for inspiration as they … Continue reading →

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The value of the craft…

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Mark Hayes

How do you value the results of your craft? It’s one of those questions that’s always hard to answer, and harder to answer as a writer than, to give a random example, as a carpenter. So how does a carpenter … Continue reading →

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A writers list of rules…

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Mark Hayes

The rules you need to adhere to to be a good writer are many, according to internet forum ‘experts’. Join any writers group on facebook, goodreads or a dozen other places I could mention and there will always be someone … Continue reading →

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The great Lock-down novel…

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Lock-down has, converse to what many of us imagined when it began, been an unproductive time for most writers I know, myself among them. Surprisingly while a lot of writing involves voluntary spurning the rest of humanity to isolate yourself … Continue reading →

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Alice isn’t dead: and upside down trucks

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Mark Hayes

If you make a fairly basic silhouette of the front of an american trunk, then flip it upside down, it looks remarkably like a stylized skull… Now I will admit that seems like an odd observation, and in many ways it … Continue reading →

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A cast of several: Mr Albert Gothe

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Mark Hayes

For reasons… I’ve been playing around with character cameos…  Those reasons are not, for once, procrastination… While they were not made for the blog I thought I may as well post them here as well with a little background on … Continue reading →

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Steampunk issues

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Given current events I feel, rightly or wrongly, the need to have a conversation I have meant to have for a while. A conversation about Steampunk, a genre, subculture and in some cases lifestyle choice with which I have a … Continue reading →

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Truth in fiction

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Good fiction, good science fiction in particular, explores truth. In the case of good science fiction it often explores an uncomfortable truth by taking a concept and building upon it an extreme example of where that truth might lead. Really … Continue reading →

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